Staff Sgt. Pearson was killed in an aircraft accident on May 7, 1945. Initially, he was listed as Missing in Action with an Administrative Date of Death of Feb. 15, 1946. Following the war, the wreckage was located and his remains were recovered. He is interred in a group burial in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va. His name is permanently engraved on the Walls of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery.

When an individual’s remains have been accounted for by the U.S. Department of Defense, a rosette is placed next to the name on the Wall/Tablet/Court of the Missing to mark that the person now rests in a known gravesite.